1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to timing devices, and more particularly to timing adaptors useful with hospital communication circuits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many health care facilities the treatment, care or monitoring often extends to patients who, because of various infirmities, are immobile or unconscious. Patients in this state require either periodic assistance or periodic inspection around the clock which is therefore delegated to nursing personnel, one nurse or attendant servicing many patients in order to conserve the costs of medical care. Because of the vagaries and imperfections of a human mind and sometimes frequent periods of inattentiveness such immobile patients are often left uncared for periods greater than periods medically acceptable. One exemplary phenomenon of this inattendance is the development of bedsores on the body of a patient, an injury, which can be prevented with periodic care if such is performed with regularity.
Concurrent with this periodic care the nurse or attendant is maintained proximate the patients to provide emergency corrections or to attend to discomforts that a patient may be experiencing. For this reason most health care facilities and particularly those where patients are confined to a bed, include a call buzzer system, each room or bed being typically provided with a wall jack for receiving a call button manipulated by the patient. The jacks, in turn, are connected to a central panel monitored by a nurse or attendant. Because of the unknown character of the call, these signals are typically responded to with greater diligence.